Chris Bowen announces his resignation from cabinet, saying it's the honourable decision following his support for Kevin Rudd. Picture: Kym Smith Source: The Australian
LABOR'S aborted leadership coup has claimed another victim, with Rudd supporter Chris Bowen falling on his sword today and announcing his resignation from cabinet.
“This is what I regard is the appropriate and honourable decision for me,” he said this morning.
The fallout among plotters came as Kevin Rudd said in a brief statement there were now "no circumstances" under which he would return to the leadership.
Mr Bowen's resignation follows that of fellow cabinet member Simon Crean, who lit yesterday's leadership fuse.
Human Services Minister Kim Carr is also expected to announce his resignation today.
Julia Gillard earlier flagged further departures of Rudd supporters from her team, after the former prime minister's failure to contest the caucus ballot called by Ms Gillard.
“I anticipate there will be a few more people considering their position,” the Prime Minister told ABC radio in Melbourne.
“They will do that. I will also consider the view as to what is best for the government over coming months, for the nation over coming months.”
Mr Bowen said he and other Rudd supporters had advised Mr Rudd that a vote would be close if he stood in yesterday's leadership ballot.
He said Mr Rudd ultimately made the right decision in deciding a close ballot would cause ongoing instability in the party.
Mr Bowen said others who supported Mr Rudd might make a different decision to the one he had taken.
As well as Senator Carr, other Rudd supporters in senior positions include Mental Health Minister Mark Butler and Resources Minister Martin Ferguson.
Richard Marles last night resigned his position as Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, while Ed Husic and Janelle Saffin resigned as whips.
Rudd plotter Joel Fitzgibbon did likewise, after earlier declaring he would consider his future for the next seven weeks.
Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr said he believed Mr Bowen's resignation was unnecessary but he wished him well, and said he had not considered a similar move himself.
He said he had expressed his emphatic support for Ms Gillard in recent days and believed the Prime Minister had emerged from the week with her leadership reaffirmed and strengthened.
“The Labor Party has got to put behind it this period of leadership tension,” he said in Washington.
He said the party had to get behind Ms Gillard and work together to prevent Coalition “extremists” from taking government.
Ms Gillard's office said the Prime Minister accepted Mr Bowen's resignation, and thanked him for his contribution, particularly in the immigration portfolio.
“The Prime Minister also acknowledges his conduct in offering his resignation is honourable,” Ms Gillard's spokesman said.
Ms Gillard said earlier today that Labor's leadership instability was over, and anyone who tried to stir it up again deserved to be ridiculed.
“If anybody wanders into a journalist's office in the future from the Labor Party claiming to have a numbers sheet, they will be met with gales of laughter,” she told ABC radio.
She said the caucus was sick of any conduct that undermined Labor's ability to contest the election, and the party would now focus on governing.
The Prime Minister said she had a ministerial reshuffle to deal with and would put together the “best team” to take the government to the September election.
Earlier, Tony Abbott vowed to try to unseat the government with a fresh no confidence motion on budget day in May.
Despite failing to get up a similar motion yesterday, the Opposition Leader said he would try again when parliament resumed in seven weeks for the handing down of the federal budget.
“I'm impatient to give our country good government because that's what the public wants,” he told ABC radio.
Wayne Swan scoffed at the opposition's decision to move a no confidence motion in the government when parliament returns on May 14.
“This really just demonstrates how negative Tony Abbott is,” Mr Swan said.
He said although he didn't agree with what Mr Crean had done, he understood why he did it.
“I believe Simon was well motivated.”
Mr Crean said he called for the spill with his eyes open.
“I was campaigning for a change of approach to end this revolving door of the leader and the focus on just the individual to getting back to what the party stands for,” he told 3AW.
Mr Crean said Mr Rudd had done the wrong thing by not contesting the caucus ballot.
“There's a right way and there's a wrong way. He took the wrong way.
“There was only one right way given what he and his team had put us through and he should have exercised it.”
Mr Crean said Ms Gillard was determined to win the election and she had his full support.
“She is a fighter,” he said.
“He (Kevin Rudd) didn't turn up for the fight.”
Mr Crean said he spoke to Mr Rudd in the caucus room.
“My only words to him were `You should have run',” he said.
Ms Gillard she was a “bit surprised” Mr Rudd didn't stand for the leadership, but having made his decision, her leadership had been emphatically confirmed.
She said after yesterday's events, she retired to The Lodge with her Cavoodle, Reuben.
“Tim's away at the moment. It was me and Reuben the dog - he was full of wise words,” she said.
“At the end of a long hard day I was happy to hang out, pat the dog and get some sleep.”
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